Weekend freeway roadwork to cause detours, delays in Phoenix, East Valley
Sep 20, 2024, 10:10 AM
Weekend freeway roadwork is scheduled across the Phoenix area on Sept. 20-23, 2024. (Arizona Department of Transportation Photo)
(Arizona Department of Transportation Photo)
PHOENIX — Drivers should plan for detours and delays due to a slew of weekend freeway roadwork in Phoenix and the East Valley.
That includes significant closures starting Friday night on Interstate 10, State Route 51, the Loop 202 Santan Freeway and SR 143, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) Weekend Freeway Travel Advisory for Sept. 20-23.
The I-10 closure will run from Loop 202 in the Chandler/Ahwatukee area to US 60 (Superstition Freeway) in Tempe from 10 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Monday for weekend freeway roadwork related to the ongoing Broadway Curve Improvement Project.
Westbound US 60 will be reduced to one lane from Mill Avenue to I-10 at the same time, and the following ramps will be off-limits: Wild Horse Pass Boulevard to westbound I-10, westbound US 60 to Priest Drive, and Mill Avenue to westbound US 60.
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Westbound I-10 traffic can avoid the closure by detouring east on the Loop 202 Santan Freeway, north on the Loop 101 Price Freeway and west on the Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway into east and central Phoenix.
An alternative for drivers heading to the West Valley is to travel west on the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, which reconnects with I-10 near 59th Avenue.
What to watch for in East Valley, central Phoenix
More weekend freeway roadwork is scheduled on the Loop 202 Santan Freeway in Chandler. The westbound lanes will be out of commission from Arizona Avenue to the Loop 101 Price Freeway from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday for a widening project. The southbound Loop 101 HOV ramp to eastbound Loop 202 will also be closed.
ADOT recommends using Germann or Pecos roads to get through Chandler while the freeway is closed.
In central Phoenix, the entire length of northbound SR 51 (Piestewa Freeway), which runs between the Interstate 10 “Mini-Stack” interchange and the Loop 101 Pima Freeway, will be closed starting at 9 p.m. Friday for pavement sealing.
The SR 51 work is expected to be completed by 9 p.m. Saturday, and crews will reopen sections of the highway as the weekend freeway roadwork progresses. Motorists should consider taking northbound I-17 as a detour to reach Loop 101, ADOT said.
Meanwhile, southbound SR 143 (Hohokam Expressway) will be shut down from the Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway to I-10, east of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday for a traffic shift. The ramp from westbound Loop 202 to Sky Harbor Boulevard will also be closed.
While SR 143 is closed, traffic can reach the airport from the north by taking westbound Loop 202 to eastbound I-10.
How weekend freeway roadwork will affect north Phoenix traffic
An additional restriction of note will be on northbound I-17 in north Phoenix, where only one lane will be open from Loop 303 to SR 74/Carefree Highway from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday for pavement improvements. The ramps to and from northbound I-17 at Dove Valley Road will also be off limits.
Motorists should not detour onto surface streets if they encounter backups, ADOT said. However, they should plan for delays or, if possible, travel through the area during off-peak hours.
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